Page 45 of Kiss of Magic

She started swaying again, hips moving to the beat, an open challenge in her eyes. Then she turned so her back was to him, deliberately gyrating against his frame. He cursed under his breath.

“Fine. One dance.”

He put his hands on her hips. They moved together in unison, the curve of her bottom pressing lightly into his thighs. He smelled her perfume, something light and floral.

The world narrowed to the beat of the music, the sensation of her undulating against him. When she raised her arms in the air, it was the most natural thing in the world to slide his palms up over her waist, her ribcage.

Christ.

“Okay, enough,” he said abruptly. “Come and sit down. I’ll buy you a drink.”

Dani followed him back to the bar, confused and irritated. He couldn’t even bear to dance with her for five fucking minutes. What would it take to get him to like her?

Maybe she just wasn’t his type. Maybe he preferred blondes. Shit. That would put a big spoke in her plans. Blake was her only hope of escaping her destiny.

If she could just persuade him to remove the dampener, she could run from the Angelus Coven, and everyone else coming after her. Maybe he’d come with her, she mused. Maybe he’d become her protector instead of her executioner.

She just had to make him want her.

But gyrating on the dance floor clearly had no impact. The man had ice-water in his veins. She knew he wasn’t gay – his reaction when she’d walked out of the bedroom in her dress had proved that – but he seemed able to resist her very obvious flirting. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t a little put out.

Reflectively, she slipped her hand into her jacket pocket and touched the little vial. Fine. If her natural charms weren’t working, this would definitely do the trick.

She sat next to him at the bar.

“Beer?” he asked.

“Yuk. Let’s have cocktails.”

“I’m not drinking anything with an umbrella in it.”

“There are manly cocktails too, you know. How about an Old Fashioned?”

“I like beer or whisky.”

“Then you’re in luck. An Old Fashioned is made with scotch.”

Without waiting for an answer, Dani ordered two Old Fashioneds. She needed Blake to drink from a proper glass, not a bottle, because then it would be easier to add the potion.

Heart beating fast, she put the cocktails down in front of them. And as she did so, she contrived to knock his empty beer bottle off the bar.

“Shit, sorry,” she said as it went flying. “Can you get that?” Unperturbed, Blake went to retrieve it.

In a flash she took out the vial and shook a couple of drops into his drink, giving it a quick swirl. She held it out to Blake as he settled back into his seat.

“There you go.”

“Thanks. Pass this to the bartender would you?”

He handed her the beer bottle and she waved at the bartender to catch his eye. Then she lifted her cocktail and clinked it against Blake’s glass.

“Cheers. To my last night on earth.”

He paused in the act of raising the tumbler to his lips.

“You seem pretty calm about it.”

“I have no choice, do I? I plan to get absolutely wasted and with a bit of luck I can throw up on Lenore when I see her.”

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